Empty Nesters: Tips for Moving Closer to Your Kids- Annapolis and Towson Estaet Planning

As empty nesters approach retirement age, they often start considering moving closer to their adult children to maintain closer family ties. However, as with any move, there are a lot of factors to consider, from choosing the right neighborhood to budgeting for expenses. Here, Sims & Campbell Estates and Trusts outline some of the most important steps empty nesters should take when they’re looking to move closer to their kids.

Consult Your Children

The first step in moving closer to your adult children is to consult with them about their ideas and preferences for the move. It’s important to have an open and honest conversation with your children about your expectations and your reasons for relocating.

 

You might have one idea about what your move should look like, but your children may have different expectations or ideas. By discussing your plans with your children, you can create a plan that everyone is happy with and that works for everyone’s needs.

Explore Potential Neighborhoods

To find your perfect home, you need to explore potential neighborhoods and areas. This helps you understand the local environment, check out nearby amenities, and get a feel for the area. Visiting these locations can guide you in making an informed decision about which place suits you best.

Get the Scoop from Local Residents

When visiting potential neighborhoods, make sure you talk to local neighbors about the area. This will give you an idea of what it’s really like to live there, and what the community is like. You can ask about things like noise levels, crime rates, and the overall vibe of the community.

Consider Healthcare, Dining, and Transportation Options

Another important consideration when relocating is the availability of healthcare, dining, and transportation. Make sure you spend time researching so you can find the best options for your needs. Healthcare is particularly important for older adults, so make sure you research local healthcare providers in the area, including doctors, dentists, and hospitals.

Navigate Zoning Laws

Before relocating, it’s important to research any laws or regulations that could affect your lifestyle choices. For example, some areas have strict noise ordinances or rules regarding how many pets you can have. Make sure you understand these regulations before you make your move, so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises down the road.

Plan a Budget for Moving-Related Costs

Relocating can be expensive, so make sure you budget for all relocation expenses, including the costs of hiring a moving company, renting a truck, and paying for any storage units. Other expenses to factor in can include closing costs and real estate agent fees. Make sure you have a solid budget in place before you start the moving process.

Decide Whether to Sell or Close Your Business

If you are a small business owner, you’ll need to decide what to do with it when you move. There are two primary options: sell it or close it. You’ll probably want to start by getting an accurate valuation of the business first because the answer might determine your next steps. Then, depending on your business structure, you may need to consult your primary stakeholders. Once you have solidified your plan, be sure to communicate the changes to your customers.

 

You may also want to consult with Sims & Campbell Estates and Trusts to determine which option is the best for your current and future financial needs.

Researching Nearby Services

As we age, it’s common for us to require more help with daily tasks. When relocating, be sure to research nearby services like housekeeping, personal care aides, and meal delivery, in case you need them later on. Knowing what’s available for you in advance can make a huge difference in your quality of life and peace of mind.

Stay Organized by Digitizing Your Documents

Digitizing your documents is a practical way to stay organized during a move, as it enables you to access important files quickly and eliminates the need to carry around physical copies. Saving documents as PDFs allows for easy sharing, printing, and viewing on any device, while preserving the original formatting and layout of the document.

Consider Relocating

For empty nesters who are considering relocating to be closer to their adult children, there are a lot of factors to consider. From choosing the right neighborhood to budgeting for expenses, it’s important to do your research ahead of time. By following the steps outlined above, taking the time to thoroughly plan and prepare, and digitizing documents, empty nesters can create a seamless and enjoyable relocation experience.

 

Read more about the article What’s Being Done to Help Seniors Age in Place? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

What’s Being Done to Help Seniors Age in Place? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Seasons’ recent article entitled “Federal grant will fund $15 million in aging-in-place home projects” provides everything you need to know about the latest on aging in place. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is making $15 million available to assist seniors with home modifications. This funding is made available through HUD’s Older Adult Home Modification Program.

“The funding opportunity … will assist experienced nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and public housing authorities in undertaking comprehensive programs that make safety and functional home modifications, repairs and renovations to meet the needs of low-income elderly homeowners,” HUD officials said in a statement.

The goal of the program is to assist low-income and older adult homeowners (at least age 62) to remain in their homes by providing low-cost, low barrier and high-impact home modifications to reduce their risk of falling, improve general safety, increase accessibility and to improve functional abilities in the home.

“This is about enabling older adults to remain in the comfort of their family home, where they have made their life,” the spokesperson said, “rather than having to move to a nursing home or other assisted care facilities.”

With an estimated 20% of the population reaching age 65 by 2040, the home modification program aims to assist older adults who remain in their homes safely with honor and respect.

“We must allow our nation’s seniors to age-in-place with dignity,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge in a statement. “This funding will give seniors the flexibility to make changes to their existing homes—changes that will keep them safe and allow them to gracefully adjust to their changing lifestyle.”

Eligible applicants include experienced nonprofit organizations, state and local governments and public housing authorities that have at least three years of experience in providing services to the elderly. Individuals, foreign entities and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to apply or receive funds, according to HUD. As a result, there’s no individual application homeowners or family members need to fill out to receive funding. Homeowners, family members, caregivers and other interested parties who want to get help and receive home modifications need to apply through a certain institution by contacting organizations in their area in the process of applying for funds or that have already received funds.

“Caregivers can contact the local organization that has a home modification grant, and let the grantee know that they are caregivers for a family with a family member that is age 62 and older, who owns the home they live in and are interested in having the family’s home modified under HUD’s Home Modification grant program to help them age in place,” a HUD spokesperson said.

Reference:  Seasons (Sep. 19, 2022) “Federal grant will fund $15 million in aging-in-place home projects”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

How Do I Plan for My Incapacity? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

The Post-Searchlight’s recent article, “How to go about planning for incapacity,” advises that planning ahead can make certain that your health-care wishes will be carried out, and that your finances will continue to be competently managed.

Incapacity can strike at any time. Advancing age can bring dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and a serious illness or accident can happen suddenly. Therefore, it’s a real possibility that you or your spouse could become unable to handle your own medical or financial affairs.

If you become incapacitated without the proper plans and documentation in place, a relative or friend will have to petition the court to appoint a guardian for you. This is a public procedure that can be stressful, time consuming and costly. In addition, without your directions, a guardian might not make the decisions you would have made.

Advance medical directives. Without any legal documents that state your wishes, healthcare providers are obligated to prolong your life using artificial means, if necessary, even if you really don’t want this. To avoid this happening to you, sign an advance medical directive. There are three types of advance medical directives: a living will, a durable power of attorney for health care (or health-care proxy) and a Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR). Each of these documents has its own purpose, benefits and drawbacks, and may not be effective in some states. Employ an experienced estate planning attorney to prepare your medical directives to make certain that you have the ones you’ll need and that all documents are consistent.

Living will. This document lets you stipulate the types of medical care you want to receive, despite the fact that you will die as a result of the choice. Check with an estate planning attorney about how living wills are used in your state.

Durable power of attorney for health care. Also called a “health-care proxy,” this document lets you designate a representative to make medical decisions on your behalf.

Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR). This is a physician’s order that tells all other medical staff not to perform CPR, if you go into cardiac arrest. There are two types of DNRs: (i) a DNR that’s only effective while you are hospitalized; and (ii) and DNR that’s used while you’re outside the hospital.

Durable power of attorney (DPOA). This document lets you to name an individual to act on your behalf. There are two types of DPOA: (i) an immediate DPOA. This document is effective immediately; and (ii) a springing DPOA, which isn’t effective until you’ve become incapacitated. Both types end at your death. Note that a springing DPOA isn’t legal in some states, so check with an estate planning attorney.

Incapacity can be determined by (i) physician certification where you can include a provision in a durable power of attorney naming one or more doctors to make the determination, or you can state that your incapacity will be determined by your attending physician at the relevant time; and (ii) judicial finding where a judge is petitioned to determine incapacity where a hearing is held where medical and other testimony will be heard.

Reference: The Post-Searchlight (December 13, 2019) “How to go about planning for incapacity”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

How to Spot Problems at Nursing Homes – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

The best time to shop for a nursing home, is when you do not need one. If you wait until you can no longer safely or comfortably live on your own, you probably will not be in a position to do a lot of legwork to investigate facilities. Do your research well ahead of time, so you know the nursing homes in your area that provide high-quality care and, more importantly, the ones that have significant problems.

As you evaluate and compare facilities, you need to know how to spot problems at nursing homes. The marketing brochure, website and lobby might be lovely, but you should base your decision about a long-term care facility on much more data than those things. Here are some tips on how to dig for possible problems at nursing homes:

  • Online search. Check out the nursing home’s website to get an overview of the services it offers and the industry affiliations or certifications it has. Look at the daily menus to see if the meals are nutritious and have enough variety. Most people would not enjoy eating the same main course two or three times a week. Look at the activities calendar to see if you would be happy with the planned social events. On some websites, you can view the floor plans of the resident rooms.
  • Ask your primary care doctor to name a few facilities he would recommend for his parents, and those where he would not want them to live.
  • Local Office on Aging location. Every state has an Office on Aging. Contact them to get as much information as you can about safety records, injuries, deaths, regulation violations and complaints about local nursing homes.
  • Your state’s Long-term Care Ombudsman (LCO). Every state also has an Ombudsman who investigates allegations against nursing homes and advocates for the residents. Your state LCO should have a wealth of information about the facilities in your area.
  • State Online Database or Reporting System. Some states have online databases or collect reports about nursing homes.
  • Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website. Medicare maintains an online tool, Nursing Home Compare, that provides detailed information on nursing homes. Every nursing home that gets any funding from Medicare or Medicaid is in this database. You can enter the name of a specific nursing home or search for all the facilities in a city or zip code. The tool includes information about abuse at long-term care facilities. On the webpage, you can explore the Special Focus Facility section to find nursing homes with a history of problems.
  • Word of mouth. Ask your friends, relatives and neighbors to recommend a quality nursing home. Personal experience can be extremely valuable.
  • Make a short list of the top candidates. After you collect as much information as you reasonably can, narrow your options down to four or five facilities that best meet your needs and preferences.
  • Visit your top choices. There is no substitute for going to a nursing home and checking it out in person. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the place throughout, not just in the lobby. Give the facility the “sniff” test. Determine whether they use products to mask unpleasant odors, instead of cleaning thoroughly. See whether the residents are well-groomed and wearing fresh, clean clothes. Observe the interaction of the staff with the residents. Notice whether people who need assistance at mealtime, get the help they need without having to wait.
  • Take online reviews with a grain of salt. Fake reviews are all over the internet. If you see a nursing home with only a few reviews, and they are all five stars, be skeptical.

Once you gather this information, you will be ready in the event you need to stay in a nursing home for a short recuperation from surgery or longer term.

References:

AARP. “Finding a Nursing Home: Don’t Wait Until You Need One to Do the Research.” (accessed December 5, 2019) https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2019/finding-a-nursing-home.html

CMS. “Find a nursing home.” (accessed December 5, 2019) https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Caring for Parents – 4 Alternatives to Nursing Home Care – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

As our parents continue to advance in years, questions about how best to care for them often come up, especially around the holidays. Maybe they’re slowing down a bit. Perhaps their memory is slipping. Is it time to shop for nursing homes? Maybe. However, there are alternatives to consider, when it comes to caring for aging parents.

Alternative #1 – In-Home Care

According to studies of aging Americans, this population prefers to remain in their own homes, if possible. They want to retain their personal autonomy, have familiar surroundings, and mostly—they don’t want to be filed away and forgotten. Most seniors that choose to remain in the home are cared for by family, and to a lesser extent, professional home healthcare workers.

While in-home care can be less expensive than a semi-or private-unit in a nursing home, it does have its downsides. This is particularly true, when it is a family member that is providing care. A sense of inequality often arises in the family dynamic, when one person is taking on all of the caregiving duties. When considering in-home care, it is critical to communicate with all family members and come up with an agreement, as to the division of labor for mom and dad.

Alternative #2 – Adult Daycare

Adult daycare may be used as an alternative to nursing home care, or in concert with in-home care. These types of centers enable elderly members to maintain a sense of community. These community centers are growing in popularity, due to the reduced cost of care, which is more than 50% less, according to the MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services. Studies have also shown that these types of facilities improve quality of life in older adults and their caregivers.

Adult daycare centers provide social activities, door-to-door transportation services, meals and snacks, assistance with activities of daily living and other therapeutic services, as needed. There are even specialized facilities for people with dementia or other developmental disabilities.

Alternative #3 – Assisted Living Communities

If the family home has become a hazardous environment for your aging parents, the next step could be an assisted living community. This type of facility offers some of the autonomy that the older “young-at-heart” family members still crave, while offering a scaled level of service onsite. These communities can provide:

  • Transportation
  • Medication Management
  • Healthcare monitoring
  • Entertainment
  • Community Activities
  • Help with Activities of Daily Living
  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry Services

These facilities are more affordable than nursing homes and offer active older people the assistance they need, while encouraging autonomy.

Alternative #4 – Accessory Dwelling Units

Bridging the gap between in-home care and other offsite care facilities, the accessory dwelling unit can be a viable option for those with property that will accommodate an extra unit. Also referred to as “granny flats,” these smaller dwellings provide privacy and autonomy for an aging parent, while also providing proximity of family and caregivers.

Depending on the layout of your property, units may be built over garages or adjacent to the family home. Costs vary by location, property and needs. However, in the long-run it may be less expensive than full-time nursing home care.

Before deciding to place family members in a nursing home, do your research. There are plenty of alternatives out there that may be more affordable and socially-preferable to nursing home life.

Resources:

ElderLawAnswers. “Alternatives to Nursing Home Care” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.elderlawanswers.com/elder-law-guides/7/alternatives-to-nursing-home-care

National Adult Day Services Association. “Comparing Long Term Care Services” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.nadsa.org/

Caring on Demand. “7 Alternatives to Nursing Homes” Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.caringondemand.com/blog/alternatives-nursing-homes

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Make Your Home Safe and Comfortable for You to Age in Place – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

You love your house and you want to live in it through your retirement. With intelligent design features, you can make your home safe and comfortable for you to age in place.

With the right information and professionals, you can create a beautiful yet functional space for your golden years. Do not assume you will have to relocate just because you reach a certain age.

Assisted living facilities and other forms of long-term care centers are usually far more expensive than living at home and getting a little help with tasks like the yard work and house cleaning. Of course, if you have significant medical needs, aging in place might not be an appropriate option for you. You and your doctor should talk about your needs and options.

Whether to Do New Construction or Retrofit Your Existing Home

If you have a much larger house than you need and your children have now grown up and moved away, you might save yourself a lot of money by selling that home and having a house built that incorporates all the features you want for aging in place. You should only have the square footage you need on a daily basis for your golden years home to be cost-effective and something you can maintain.

It can be hard for people to let go of hosting the family get-togethers, but one reaches a point at which the next generation should take on this responsibility. Having square footage that goes unused most of the year will put a drain on your future budget. When you downsize the square footage, you should only keep the furniture you will need in the new space. Trying to cram too much stuff into a smaller space will make your home crowded and take away the beauty and function.

Whether you are having a new, smaller house built or retrofitting your existing home, you should discuss these essential features with your contractor:

  • Entries should not have steps. Multiple levels will be hard to navigate if you become less mobile and steps are a tripping hazard.
  • Stairs can be dangerous, especially if you use a cane or walker or if you take medications that can affect your balance. You should have a one-story house with no second floor and no basement.
  • Your faucets and door handles should be levers, not knobs. It can be hard to grip and turn knobs, particularly with arthritis or weakness of the hands.
  • All interior and exterior doorways should be at least 36 inches wide, and hallways should be 48 inches wide. You will not be able to get a wheelchair through a narrow door or hallway.
  • Make sure you can reach all the power outlets and switches from both a sitting and standing height.
  • Talk with your contractor about the recommended counter height for your situation.
  • A lower height sink in the kitchen and bathroom can make many tasks easier and safer. A 30-inch height with open space under the sink is ideal.
  • Your shower should have a no-step entry.
  • Make sure that your contractor uses the Aging-in-Place Remodeling Checklist of the National Association of Home Builders.

Depending on the circumstances, it might be less expensive to sell your existing house and have a smaller one built, rather than to make extensive modifications to an older home for you to age in place.

References: HuffPost. “Designing A Home ot Age In Place, With Grace.” (accessed October 9, 2019) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/designing-a-home-to-age-in-place-with-grace_b_5791390ce4b0a86259d1029e

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys